Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The Colorado Rockies wrapped up the first half of the season on Sunday by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers and winning four of their last seven games on the road.
Although a 4–3 record may seem somewhat insignificant or mediocre to those outside the Rockies’ story line, it could prove to be one of the more profound seven-game stretches of the entire season when reflecting on the 2013 Rockies in October. That may seem overstated, but let me explain my reasoning.
Coming in to the seven-game stretch, the Rocks had just been swept by NL West Division leaders Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the low point of a declining season. Injuries had decimated the Rockies, the reliable bullpen early in the season had self-destructed and now the starting rotation seemed to be unraveling.
The Rockies basically found themselves at a crossroads on the season. Do they allow the season to fade in to insignificance, or do they dig in and regain the fire that had all of baseball turning heads and taking note earlier in the season? The gauntlet was thrown, and the Rockies responded.
The Rockies took two of three from the San Diego Padres before making the trip to Los Angeles for a four-game set. The outcome seemed almost elementary to any MLB follower, but the Rockies had other plans. Starters Juan Nicasio, Tyler Chatwood and Jhoulys Chacin had the greatest impact on the series. In the three starts, the Rockies surrendered just two runs in 26 innings to the hottest team in baseball.
It was a statement, an exclamation point for a downed team headed towards the All-Star break. It was the kind of performance that can turn an entire season around. The importance cannot be overstated.
This team needed a break more so than any Rockies team in recent memory, if not the history of the franchise. The battered, bruised and banged-up gang now get four much-needed days off, followed by a 10-game home stretch to launch the second half of the season. It all adds up to a serious of events that the Rocks desperately needed.
Jim Heath is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_heath, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
